#HoustonStrong

Downtown Houston shows signs of life after Hurricane Harvey finally leaves

Downtown Houston during the storm.

With Tropical Storm Harvey finally gone, downtown Houston is slowly returning to life.

While most downtown streets were deserted on Wednesday, the George R. Brown Convention Center and nearby Toyota Center on the east side were the focus of significant activity as the temporary home for thousands of evacuees. The Telepsen YMCA, on downtown's south side, is open during daytime hours and hosted a lively Zumba fundraiser for Harvey flood victims Wednesday afternoon. (The downtown Y is open 10 am - 6 pm today and Friday and is open over the weekend for limited hours and on Labor Day.)

The area around Minute Maid Park is also expected to be a hub of activity this weekend when the Astros return home to play the New York Mets in a doubleheader on Saturday and one game on Sunday.

“We feel that the Astros playing this weekend will provide a much-needed boost for our city,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a statement issued by the Astros. “With all the difficulties that many of our citizens are facing, the games will provide an opportunity for families to start returning to some aspect of normal life.”

"Overall, Downtown has fared well and is stable," an assessment by the Downtown District concludes, noting that Buffalo Bayou water levels in the area continue to recede. Water-damaged buildings are located primarily in the northern and western areas of downtown, including the Warehouse, Historic and Theater Districts. The only part of the tunnel system that flooded was adjacent to the Theater District and Civic Center garages.

The Downtown District noted the following buildings received damage, primarily with water in first level/basement spaces:

Spaghetti Warehouse, 901 Commerce
Sunset Coffee Building, 1019 Commerce
800 Commerce, law offices
AIA Houston (u/c), 900 Commerce
One Main and Student Life Buildings, University of Houston Downtown
Willow Street Pump Station, University of Houston Downtown
Dakota Lofts, 711 William
mArchitects, 1206 Nance
Oxheart/Theadore Rex (u/c), 1302 Nance
Cotton Exchange Bldg, 202 Travis
Bayou Lofts, 915 Franklin
The Rice, 909 Texas
Market Square Tower
Hogg Palace, 401 Louisiana
Chase Motor Bank, 212 Milam
Magnolia Ballroom, 715 Franklin
Theater District and Tranquillity Garages
Bayou Place
Downtown Aquarium
Houston Ballet Center for Dance, 601 Preston
Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas
Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana
Alley Theatre, 615 Texas
Hobby Center, 800 Bagby
City Hall and City Hall Annex
Sam Houston Park/Historic Homes
1415 Fannin (fire damage)

Most downtown streets are open, although some freeway exit ramps leading into the area remain impassable. There are isolated outages in the Historic District and Harris County complex; CenterPoint Energy is working to restore power. A few traffic signals are out in the north end.

Many downtown events are being canceled or rescheduled. Among those are the BBVA Compass POPS Series, Ella at 100, scheduled for September 1-3 at Jones Hall. "While the Jones Hall stage and auditorium show no discernible damage, all levels of the Theater District Garages are flooded and are therefore completely unusable," the Houston Symphony explained in a release.

A spokesperson for Houston First, which manages The Theater District garages, said pumps are flushing out water from the subterranean areas at this time. Then the garages have to be inspected for structural damage and electrical problems. "We are taking this day by day," she said.

Activity is expected to pick up next week after Labor Day, when employees return to work and such downtown schools as Incarnate Word Academy, South Texas College of Law and University of Houston Downtown resume classes on September 5.

hurricane

Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”